Bird flight has always intrigued mankind. This book provides an up-to-date account of the existing knowledge on the subject, offering new insights and challenges some established views. A brief ...
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Bird flight has always intrigued mankind. This book provides an up-to-date account of the existing knowledge on the subject, offering new insights and challenges some established views. A brief history of the science of flight introduces the basic physical principles governing aerial locomotion. This is followed by chapters on the flight-related functional morphology. The anatomy of the flight apparatus includes the wings, tail, and body. Treatment of the wings emphasizes the difference in shape of the arm and hand part. The structural complexity and mechanical properties of feathers receive special attention. Aerodynamic principles used by birds are explained in theory by applying Newton’s laws, and in practice by showing the direction and velocity of the flow around the arm and hand wing. The Archaeopteryx fossils remain crucial to the understanding of the evolution of bird flight despite the recent discovery of a range of well-preserved ancient birds. A novel hypothesis explaining the enigmatic details of the Archaeopteryx remains and challenges established theories regarding the origin of bird flight. Take-off, flapping flight, gliding, and landing are the basic ingredients of bird flight, and birds use a variety of flight styles from hovering to soaring. Muscles are the engines that generate the forces required to control the wings and tail, and to work during flapping motion. The energy required to fly can be estimated or measured directly, and a comparison of the empirical results, provides insights into the trend in metabolic costs of flight of birds varying in shape and mass from hummingbirds to albatrosses.Less

Avian Flight

John J. Videler

Published in print: 2006-08-10

Bird flight has always intrigued mankind. This book provides an up-to-date account of the existing knowledge on the subject, offering new insights and challenges some established views. A brief history of the science of flight introduces the basic physical principles governing aerial locomotion. This is followed by chapters on the flight-related functional morphology. The anatomy of the flight apparatus includes the wings, tail, and body. Treatment of the wings emphasizes the difference in shape of the arm and hand part. The structural complexity and mechanical properties of feathers receive special attention. Aerodynamic principles used by birds are explained in theory by applying Newton’s laws, and in practice by showing the direction and velocity of the flow around the arm and hand wing. The Archaeopteryx fossils remain crucial to the understanding of the evolution of bird flight despite the recent discovery of a range of well-preserved ancient birds. A novel hypothesis explaining the enigmatic details of the Archaeopteryx remains and challenges established theories regarding the origin of bird flight. Take-off, flapping flight, gliding, and landing are the basic ingredients of bird flight, and birds use a variety of flight styles from hovering to soaring. Muscles are the engines that generate the forces required to control the wings and tail, and to work during flapping motion. The energy required to fly can be estimated or measured directly, and a comparison of the empirical results, provides insights into the trend in metabolic costs of flight of birds varying in shape and mass from hummingbirds to albatrosses.

As people have spread around the world, they have taken with them a broad range of other species to satisfy a variety of human needs. Some of these species went on to establish wild populations well ...
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As people have spread around the world, they have taken with them a broad range of other species to satisfy a variety of human needs. Some of these species went on to establish wild populations well outside their native ranges. These biological invaders are a major component of current global change, and often represent threats to the maintenance of global biodiversity, human health, and the success of human economic enterprises. The continuing globalization of our society ensures that the need to understand the process of biological invasion will only increase in the future. There is also a growing recognition that the study of biological invaders provides significant insight into basic questions in ecology and evolution. Exotic birds provide a particularly good opportunity to study the causes and consequences of biological invasions. By combining good historical records of bird introductions with the detailed information available on many other aspects of avian biology, this book advances understanding of the invasion process while also exploring avian conservation biology, and basic principles of ecology and evolution. Chapters cover causes of non-randomness in which species get transported and released into novel environments, the stochastic (relating to numbers released) and deterministic (relating to species and location) effects that influence establishment success, patterns and processes in range expansion, and the ecology, genetics, and evolution of exotic birds in their new environment.Less

Avian Invasions : The Ecology and Evolution of Exotic Birds

Tim M. BlackburnJulie L. LockwoodPhillip Cassey

Published in print: 2009-06-25

As people have spread around the world, they have taken with them a broad range of other species to satisfy a variety of human needs. Some of these species went on to establish wild populations well outside their native ranges. These biological invaders are a major component of current global change, and often represent threats to the maintenance of global biodiversity, human health, and the success of human economic enterprises. The continuing globalization of our society ensures that the need to understand the process of biological invasion will only increase in the future. There is also a growing recognition that the study of biological invaders provides significant insight into basic questions in ecology and evolution. Exotic birds provide a particularly good opportunity to study the causes and consequences of biological invasions. By combining good historical records of bird introductions with the detailed information available on many other aspects of avian biology, this book advances understanding of the invasion process while also exploring avian conservation biology, and basic principles of ecology and evolution. Chapters cover causes of non-randomness in which species get transported and released into novel environments, the stochastic (relating to numbers released) and deterministic (relating to species and location) effects that influence establishment success, patterns and processes in range expansion, and the ecology, genetics, and evolution of exotic birds in their new environment.

After the chicken, the House Sparrow is the most widely distributed bird species in the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica and on most human-inhabited islands. Although its Latin ...
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After the chicken, the House Sparrow is the most widely distributed bird species in the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica and on most human-inhabited islands. Although its Latin name is Passer domesticus, it is certainly not domesticated. In fact, it is widely regarded as a pest species and is consequently not protected in most of its extensive range. This combination of ubiquity and minimal legal protection has contributed to its wide use in studies by avian biologists throughout the world. This book reviews and summarizes the results of these global studies on House Sparrows, and provides a springboard for future studies on the species. House Sparrows have been used to study natural selection in introduced species, circadian rhythms, and the neuroendocrine control of the avian annual cycle. One current question of considerable interest concerns the catastrophic House Sparrow population decline in several urban centers in Europe. Is the House Sparrow a contemporary canary in the mine? Other topics of broad interest include the reproductive and flock-foraging strategies of sparrows, and sexual selection and the function of the male badge in the species. The book also explores the role of the House Sparrow in disease transmission to humans and their domesticated animals.Less

Biology of the Ubiquitous House Sparrow : From Genes to Populations

Ted Anderson

Published in print: 2006-08-24

After the chicken, the House Sparrow is the most widely distributed bird species in the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica and on most human-inhabited islands. Although its Latin name is Passer domesticus, it is certainly not domesticated. In fact, it is widely regarded as a pest species and is consequently not protected in most of its extensive range. This combination of ubiquity and minimal legal protection has contributed to its wide use in studies by avian biologists throughout the world. This book reviews and summarizes the results of these global studies on House Sparrows, and provides a springboard for future studies on the species. House Sparrows have been used to study natural selection in introduced species, circadian rhythms, and the neuroendocrine control of the avian annual cycle. One current question of considerable interest concerns the catastrophic House Sparrow population decline in several urban centers in Europe. Is the House Sparrow a contemporary canary in the mine? Other topics of broad interest include the reproductive and flock-foraging strategies of sparrows, and sexual selection and the function of the male badge in the species. The book also explores the role of the House Sparrow in disease transmission to humans and their domesticated animals.

This unique and unprecedented study of birding in Africa reconstructs the collaborations between well-known ornithologists and the largely forgotten guides, hunters, and taxidermists who worked with ...
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This unique and unprecedented study of birding in Africa reconstructs the collaborations between well-known ornithologists and the largely forgotten guides, hunters, and taxidermists who worked with them. Drawing on ethnography, scientific publications, private archives, and interviews, the author asks: How did white ornithologists both depend on and operate distinctively from African birders? What investment did African birders have in collaborating with ornithologists? By distilling the interactions between European science and African vernacular knowledge, this stunningly illustrated book offers a fascinating examination of the colonial and postcolonial politics of expertise about nature.Less

Birders of Africa : History of a Network

Nancy J. Jacobs

Published in print: 2016-04-26

This unique and unprecedented study of birding in Africa reconstructs the collaborations between well-known ornithologists and the largely forgotten guides, hunters, and taxidermists who worked with them. Drawing on ethnography, scientific publications, private archives, and interviews, the author asks: How did white ornithologists both depend on and operate distinctively from African birders? What investment did African birders have in collaborating with ornithologists? By distilling the interactions between European science and African vernacular knowledge, this stunningly illustrated book offers a fascinating examination of the colonial and postcolonial politics of expertise about nature.

This book focuses on the current understanding of a set of topics in ecological and environmental physiology that are of particular interest to ornithologists, but which also have broad biological ...
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This book focuses on the current understanding of a set of topics in ecological and environmental physiology that are of particular interest to ornithologists, but which also have broad biological relevance. The introductory chapter covers the basic body plan of birds and their still-enigmatic evolutionary history. The focus then shifts to a consideration of the essential components of that most fundamental of avian attributes: the ability to fly. The emphasis is on feather evolution and development, flight energetics and aerodynamics, migration, and as a counterpoint, the curious secondary evolution of flightlessness that has occurred in several lineages. This sets the stage for subsequent chapters, which present specific physiological topics within a strongly ecological and environmental framework. Chapter 2 covers gas exchange and thermal and osmotic balance, together with the central role of body size. Chapter 3 addresses ‘classical’ life history parameters — male and female reproductive costs, parental care and investment in offspring, and fecundity versus longevity tradeoffs — from an eco-physiological perspective. Chapter 4 offers a comprehensive analysis of feeding and digestive physiology, adaptations to challenging environments (high altitude, deserts, marine habitats, cold), developmental adaptations, and neural specializations (notably those important in foraging, long-distance navigation, and song production). Throughout the book, classical studies are integrated with the latest research findings. Numerous important and intriguing questions await further work, and the book concludes with a discussion of research methods and approaches — emphasizing cutting-edge technology — and a final chapter on future directions that should help point the way forward for both young and senior scientists.Less

Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Birds

Published in print: 2010-04-01

This book focuses on the current understanding of a set of topics in ecological and environmental physiology that are of particular interest to ornithologists, but which also have broad biological relevance. The introductory chapter covers the basic body plan of birds and their still-enigmatic evolutionary history. The focus then shifts to a consideration of the essential components of that most fundamental of avian attributes: the ability to fly. The emphasis is on feather evolution and development, flight energetics and aerodynamics, migration, and as a counterpoint, the curious secondary evolution of flightlessness that has occurred in several lineages. This sets the stage for subsequent chapters, which present specific physiological topics within a strongly ecological and environmental framework. Chapter 2 covers gas exchange and thermal and osmotic balance, together with the central role of body size. Chapter 3 addresses ‘classical’ life history parameters — male and female reproductive costs, parental care and investment in offspring, and fecundity versus longevity tradeoffs — from an eco-physiological perspective. Chapter 4 offers a comprehensive analysis of feeding and digestive physiology, adaptations to challenging environments (high altitude, deserts, marine habitats, cold), developmental adaptations, and neural specializations (notably those important in foraging, long-distance navigation, and song production). Throughout the book, classical studies are integrated with the latest research findings. Numerous important and intriguing questions await further work, and the book concludes with a discussion of research methods and approaches — emphasizing cutting-edge technology — and a final chapter on future directions that should help point the way forward for both young and senior scientists.

Chickadees and titmice are among the most popular birds in North America, due in large part to their readiness to use bird feeders, to nest in urban gardens, and even to be trained to take food from ...
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Chickadees and titmice are among the most popular birds in North America, due in large part to their readiness to use bird feeders, to nest in urban gardens, and even to be trained to take food from people's hands. These attributes have also made them (and their Eurasian tit counterparts) perhaps the most intensively studied bird family in the world. Long-term research in Europe has yielded some of the most comprehensive data on the impact of global warming on the breeding ecology of birds. Chickadees have amongst the best-studied and most complex vocal behaviour of any bird species, displaying one of the closest analogies to human sentence structure in the animal kingdom in their familiar chick-a-dee call. The social dominance hierarchies commonly witnessed in the form of squabbling at winter feeders are some of most stable and closely studied, and have huge impacts on controlling the lives of these small birds. Their food-storing behaviour, and the brain and physiological mechanisms controlling this, has contributed significantly to our wider understanding of spatial orientation. In recent years, these birds have also been used as model species for investigating topics as diverse as inter-species hybridization, the impacts of forest fragmentation and complex systems of communication. In short, chickadees and titmice have contributed enormously to our understanding of a myriad of topics in ecology, behaviour, and psychology. Each chapter in this book reviews the latest advances in evolution and behavioural research that have been accomplished through the study of North American Parids, and compares and contrasts this literature with research on their Eurasian counterparts as well as other avian families.Less

Ecology and Behavior of Chickadees and Titmice : an integrated approach

Published in print: 2007-02-01

Chickadees and titmice are among the most popular birds in North America, due in large part to their readiness to use bird feeders, to nest in urban gardens, and even to be trained to take food from people's hands. These attributes have also made them (and their Eurasian tit counterparts) perhaps the most intensively studied bird family in the world. Long-term research in Europe has yielded some of the most comprehensive data on the impact of global warming on the breeding ecology of birds. Chickadees have amongst the best-studied and most complex vocal behaviour of any bird species, displaying one of the closest analogies to human sentence structure in the animal kingdom in their familiar chick-a-dee call. The social dominance hierarchies commonly witnessed in the form of squabbling at winter feeders are some of most stable and closely studied, and have huge impacts on controlling the lives of these small birds. Their food-storing behaviour, and the brain and physiological mechanisms controlling this, has contributed significantly to our wider understanding of spatial orientation. In recent years, these birds have also been used as model species for investigating topics as diverse as inter-species hybridization, the impacts of forest fragmentation and complex systems of communication. In short, chickadees and titmice have contributed enormously to our understanding of a myriad of topics in ecology, behaviour, and psychology. Each chapter in this book reviews the latest advances in evolution and behavioural research that have been accomplished through the study of North American Parids, and compares and contrasts this literature with research on their Eurasian counterparts as well as other avian families.

This volume of Studies in Avian Biology resulted from a symposium on avian disease at the North American Ornithological Conference held in Veracruz, Mexico, in October 2006. The diverse set of topics ...
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This volume of Studies in Avian Biology resulted from a symposium on avian disease at the North American Ornithological Conference held in Veracruz, Mexico, in October 2006. The diverse set of topics addressed in the contributed chapters of this volume include the evolutionary and ecological aspects of the host-vector systems of avian infectious disease, the effects of genetic variation, introduction success and vector ecology, the evolution of resistance and virulence of pathogens, and the effects of changing geographic distributions. In addition to empirical studies under field conditions, the authors have developed predictive models to assess the movement and potential impact of these diseases. Other chapters delve into the potential impacts of pathogens on ornithological research and the key role of ornithological science in biosurveillance and documenting impacts of disease on bird populations. The contributed chapters in this volume demonstrate the value of ornithological research at a time when human disease pandemics arising from new diseases from animal origin may increase with ongoing environmental change. Potential impacts on human health and economic development, along with the conservation impacts of wildlife disease on populations of wild birds, underscore the importance of this research presented in this volume.Less

Emerging Avian Disease

Ellen Paul

Published in print: 2012-04-26

This volume of Studies in Avian Biology resulted from a symposium on avian disease at the North American Ornithological Conference held in Veracruz, Mexico, in October 2006. The diverse set of topics addressed in the contributed chapters of this volume include the evolutionary and ecological aspects of the host-vector systems of avian infectious disease, the effects of genetic variation, introduction success and vector ecology, the evolution of resistance and virulence of pathogens, and the effects of changing geographic distributions. In addition to empirical studies under field conditions, the authors have developed predictive models to assess the movement and potential impact of these diseases. Other chapters delve into the potential impacts of pathogens on ornithological research and the key role of ornithological science in biosurveillance and documenting impacts of disease on bird populations. The contributed chapters in this volume demonstrate the value of ornithological research at a time when human disease pandemics arising from new diseases from animal origin may increase with ongoing environmental change. Potential impacts on human health and economic development, along with the conservation impacts of wildlife disease on populations of wild birds, underscore the importance of this research presented in this volume.

Evolutionary biomechanics is the study of evolution through the analysis of biomechanical systems. Its unique advantage is the precision with which physical constraints and performance can be ...
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Evolutionary biomechanics is the study of evolution through the analysis of biomechanical systems. Its unique advantage is the precision with which physical constraints and performance can be predicted from first principles. Biomechanical examples illustrate particularly clearly the optimising tendency of natural selection, and the way in which adaptive change is contingent upon phylogenetic history and physical constraint. Instead of reviewing the entire breadth of the biomechanical literature, this book explores a few key examples in depth, as vehicles for discussing fundamental concepts, analytical techniques, and evolutionary theory. Each chapter explores a different conceptual theme, developing the theory and techniques required for analyses in evolutionary biomechanics. Examples from terrestrial biomechanics, metabolic scaling, and bird flight are used to analyse how physics constrains the design space that natural selection is free to explore, and how adaptive evolution finds solutions to trade-offs between multiple complex conflicting performance objectives. The book draws upon a uniquely broad range of theory in achieving its goals, bringing together population genetics, statistics, mechanics, aerodynamics, and multi-objective optimization in one volume. The book begins by rehabilitating the adaptive landscape metaphor into our modern gene-centric understanding of evolution, and concludes with a phylogenetically-controlled comparative analysis of wing design in birds that motivates a mapping from morphospace to performance space, and an analysis of adaptation through the theory of multi-objective optimization. The concept of Pareto optimality is used to crystallize Evolutionary Biomechanics as the study of the interaction of selection, phylogeny, and constraint in the diversification of species through adaptive evolution.Less

Evolutionary Biomechanics

Graham TaylorAdrian Thomas

Published in print: 2014-01-02

Evolutionary biomechanics is the study of evolution through the analysis of biomechanical systems. Its unique advantage is the precision with which physical constraints and performance can be predicted from first principles. Biomechanical examples illustrate particularly clearly the optimising tendency of natural selection, and the way in which adaptive change is contingent upon phylogenetic history and physical constraint. Instead of reviewing the entire breadth of the biomechanical literature, this book explores a few key examples in depth, as vehicles for discussing fundamental concepts, analytical techniques, and evolutionary theory. Each chapter explores a different conceptual theme, developing the theory and techniques required for analyses in evolutionary biomechanics. Examples from terrestrial biomechanics, metabolic scaling, and bird flight are used to analyse how physics constrains the design space that natural selection is free to explore, and how adaptive evolution finds solutions to trade-offs between multiple complex conflicting performance objectives. The book draws upon a uniquely broad range of theory in achieving its goals, bringing together population genetics, statistics, mechanics, aerodynamics, and multi-objective optimization in one volume. The book begins by rehabilitating the adaptive landscape metaphor into our modern gene-centric understanding of evolution, and concludes with a phylogenetically-controlled comparative analysis of wing design in birds that motivates a mapping from morphospace to performance space, and an analysis of adaptation through the theory of multi-objective optimization. The concept of Pareto optimality is used to crystallize Evolutionary Biomechanics as the study of the interaction of selection, phylogeny, and constraint in the diversification of species through adaptive evolution.

Admired for its elaborate breeding displays and treasured as a game bird, the Greater Sage-Grouse is a charismatic symbol of the broad open spaces in western North America. Unfortunately these birds ...
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Admired for its elaborate breeding displays and treasured as a game bird, the Greater Sage-Grouse is a charismatic symbol of the broad open spaces in western North America. Unfortunately these birds have declined across much of their range — which stretches across eleven western states and reaches into Canada — mostly due to loss of critical sagebrush habitat. Today the Greater Sage-Grouse is at the center of a complex conservation challenge. This multifaceted volume, an important foundation for developing conservation strategies and actions, provides a comprehensive synthesis of scientific information on the biology and ecology of the Greater Sage-Grouse. Bringing together the experience of thirty-eight researchers, it describes the bird's population trends, its sagebrush habitat, and potential limitations to conservation, including the effects of rangeland fire, climate change, invasive plants, disease, and land uses such as energy development, grazing, and agriculture.Less

Greater Sage-Grouse : Ecology and Conservation of a Landscape Species and Its Habitats

Published in print: 2011-05-19

Admired for its elaborate breeding displays and treasured as a game bird, the Greater Sage-Grouse is a charismatic symbol of the broad open spaces in western North America. Unfortunately these birds have declined across much of their range — which stretches across eleven western states and reaches into Canada — mostly due to loss of critical sagebrush habitat. Today the Greater Sage-Grouse is at the center of a complex conservation challenge. This multifaceted volume, an important foundation for developing conservation strategies and actions, provides a comprehensive synthesis of scientific information on the biology and ecology of the Greater Sage-Grouse. Bringing together the experience of thirty-eight researchers, it describes the bird's population trends, its sagebrush habitat, and potential limitations to conservation, including the effects of rangeland fire, climate change, invasive plants, disease, and land uses such as energy development, grazing, and agriculture.

Birds, in contrast to mammals, are thought to have fragile bones, which are difficult to identify when found, so have no useful archaeological record. This book is based on an accumulation of over ...
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Birds, in contrast to mammals, are thought to have fragile bones, which are difficult to identify when found, so have no useful archaeological record. This book is based on an accumulation of over 9,000 records of species identified from sites in the British Isles, which indicates that the contrary is true. The difficulties of identification are discussed, but 9,000 records is a substantial body of evidence, which is reviewed. The book summarizes the archaeological record of birds in the British Isles, and integrates this factual basis into an overview of the history of the bird fauna in these islands. It tells us much about what native birds we should have, which ones we have lost, and therefore which ones would be worth discussing for reintroduction. Recent discussions suppose that eagle owls are not native, but archaeological evidence suggests they were. White-tailed eagles were widespread up to Saxon times at least, and cranes (not the same as herons) were widespread through to mediaeval times. When did our most common bird arrive? Where from? Which species is it, anyway? And how does the balance of wild, introduced and domestic birds compare with the similar balance of mammals, or with the balance 7,000 years ago, before farming altered the landscape?Less

The History of British Birds

Derek YaldenUmberto Albarella

Published in print: 2008-11-01

Birds, in contrast to mammals, are thought to have fragile bones, which are difficult to identify when found, so have no useful archaeological record. This book is based on an accumulation of over 9,000 records of species identified from sites in the British Isles, which indicates that the contrary is true. The difficulties of identification are discussed, but 9,000 records is a substantial body of evidence, which is reviewed. The book summarizes the archaeological record of birds in the British Isles, and integrates this factual basis into an overview of the history of the bird fauna in these islands. It tells us much about what native birds we should have, which ones we have lost, and therefore which ones would be worth discussing for reintroduction. Recent discussions suppose that eagle owls are not native, but archaeological evidence suggests they were. White-tailed eagles were widespread up to Saxon times at least, and cranes (not the same as herons) were widespread through to mediaeval times. When did our most common bird arrive? Where from? Which species is it, anyway? And how does the balance of wild, introduced and domestic birds compare with the similar balance of mammals, or with the balance 7,000 years ago, before farming altered the landscape?